Acetylene-gas generator.



J. J. McNOON. ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR. APPLICATION FILED 020.2, 1914.

1 9 1 %4=, U4% Patented June 22, 1915.

11ml 1 J I M IH'? NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, D. C.

TED ETATEE JAMES J'. MCNOON, F BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OE ONE-HALE T0 CHARLES C. HEMINGER, 0E BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY.

AGETYLENE-G-AS GENERATOR.

Lildetflidd.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2%, 11915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES J. MoNooN,

I a citizen of the United States, residing at Bowling Green, in the county of Warren and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Acetylenefras Generators, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to acetylene gas generators of the bell type and particularly to that type having a supply of carbid carried by the bell and automatically fed to the generator on the descent of the bell.

The objects of this invention are, to economize on the amount of carbid used, insuring a complete consumption of each charge, thereby obtaining the greatest amount of gas from the least amount of carbid; to obtain a gentle and gradual regularly rising and falling generation of gas; to guard against accidents or explosions; to provide easy and simple means for limiting the supply of carbid to the generator grate; to provide easy means for draining and flush ing the generating cone or chamber and the floating grate or screen movingvertically therein and to provide for simplicity and compactness of the apparatus as a whole, all of which objects, among others, are accomplished by the construction, arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more particularly described, set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a vertical cross-sectional view on the line 11 of Fig. 2, the bell being in its lowest position and the carbid being automatically fed to the floating screen or grate, the flap valve governing the supply of carbid being in its extreme open position; and

Fig. 2 represents a cross-section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, 1 designates the usual bell provided at its top with a carbid chamber or receptacle 2 and rising and falling in the concentric tank 3 which acts as a water seal for said bell.

This bell 1 is provided with four equi-distant brackets all in the same horizontal plane and having horizontal lower arms 4 which strike against the upper edge of tank 3 as bell 1 descends, thus limiting the down ward movement of the bell 1 with relation to the operation of the carbid feed flap valve 26, thus preventing the discharge of too much carbid at any one time. Stops l, in limiting the descent of the bell, also guard against injury to the gas pipe or the edge of the bell 1 and prevent the disturbance of the position of the bell 1 with relation to the concentric tank 3, thus insuring a good sealing at all points of its movement and easy working of the parts since these brackets are further provided with bifurcated upper arms 5 carrying grooved guide rollers 6 which run on rods 7 bolted or otherwise connected to the tank 3 and held firmly in position. These rods or guides 7 are of suilicient height to allow the bell to be lifted out of the water seal during the cleaning operation or whenever desired, and to brace each other they are inverted U-shaped and cross each other directly over the center of the bell 1, being rigidly connected to each other at this point by any suitable means or they may be made integral.

A cone-shaped generator 8 is mounted in said tank 3 with its smaller and lower end soldered or welded or otherwise suitably secured with a watertight connection to the center of the bottom of tank 3 and is firmly braced in such position by stays or braces 9 connected by rivets or other suitable means 28 and 29 respectively to said generator 8 and the bottom of tank 3.

The largest end of this cone 8 is presented upward for about three fourths the height of said tank 3 and is provided with a rolled or beaded edge, all for the purpose to be treated hereinafter. This cone 8 is at all points concentric with the surrounding cylindrical parts of hell 1 and tank 3.

A float carrying screen or grate 10 and centered by guides 11 at all stages of its travel is located in the upper part of this cone generator 8 and floats on the surface of the water, rlsing and falling therewlth between the upper stops or flanges 13, which 5 limit the ascent of the float and the lower stops or flanges 12, which limit the descent of the float, with the screen or grate 10 slightly submerged when loaded with carbid, thus insuring the gradual action of the water on the carbid, the water soaking up through the mass gradually. Of course the degree of submergence of the grate or screen 10 decreases with the decrease of the charge of carbid as it is consumed by reason of 'ply pipe 15 is the decrease in weight to be supported by the float. The stops or flanges 12 and 18 may be formed integral with the guides 11 as shown or in any other suitable manner.

Blocks or wedges 30 are interposed between the lower parts of guides 11 and the adjacent inclined interior face of generator 8, with straight faces presented toward the guides 11 and inclined faces presented toward the interior face of the generator. Rivets 28 passing through the upper ends of the braces 9, the Wall of generator 8 and the wedges 30 and guides 11 hold guides 11 in vertical position, being aided in this by the bracing action of the wedges 30. It is to be noted that in each case this fastening rivet 28, or other equivalent suitable fastening means, has three duties to perform, to hold the upper end of its respective brace 9 to the side of the generator 8, to hold its block 30 in position and to hold the guide 11 firmly in vertical position and this fastening must be so tight as to prevent the passage of any water through the hole in the generator Wall through which the fastening means passes.

A drain 21 provided with a hand valve 22 has a screw-threaded connection with a strengthening or reinforcing collar 81, welded, soldered or otherwise suitabl secured to the exterior of the bottom of tank 3, and the adjacent edge of thebottom of said tank, and has communication with the interiorof the cone generator 8 for removing the sludge and other waste matter, which may be drained off with all water in the cone generator 8 by merely opening the valve 22.

' As a great aid during the cleaning of the generator 8 and grate or screen 10, the supcarried up and its end is curved downover the upper end of generator 8, the end of the pipe 15 being so arranged as to direct a stream of water on to the float (Fig. 1), driving all waste and refuse or sludge out of the meshes of the grate and passing on down into the cone, driving all such matter with it down through the drain 21.

This pipe 15 is also used to fill the generator 8 and the tank 3 with water; in such case the valve 22 is closed, the water supply valve 16 is opened and the water flows from pipe 15 into the cone 8 until it reaches the level of holes 14 therein, flowing through these holes 14 to the tank 3 until it reaches the level of the overflow pet-cock 23, when the supply valve 16 is closed, the apparatus being then ready to start up.

The gas pipe 17 passes through the wall of tank 3 near the bottom thereof, passing under the edge of bell 1 in its lowest position and vertically upward inside thereof Well above the surface of the water and is carried up parallel on the outside of tank 3 to a wool-tank or filter 18 through which the gas passes and is provided at its lowest point exterior to tank 3 with a drain petcock 20 permitting the drainage of all water that may be caught by the wool-tank 18 and collect in the pipe 17. A service pipe 32 leads away from filter l8 and the flow of gas therethrough is governed by a hand valve 33, or any other suitable valve.

A drain cock 24 communicating with the interior of tank 3 permits the water therein to be drained therefrom when desired.

The carbid chamber or receptacle 2 is pro-- vided with a conical top and is filled through opening 3% normally closed by a screwthreaded cap 35, as usual. The bottom of this chamber 2 is cone-shaped, its lowest point being lateral to a vertical central line passing through chamber 2. A hopper 19 suitably secured to, or integral with, the bottom of this chamber 2 has communication with the interior thereof at this, its lowest, point, and the carbid falls from said chainber 2 into this hopper 19 where it is retained by the flap valve 26 during the ascent of the bell and from which it is discharged by the opening of the flap valve 26 in and near the lowest position of the bell 1.

To obtain this action the flap valve 26 is pivoted to the lowest point of the hopper 19 and a weighted lever rod 27 is attached to its under surface and extends nearly to the side of the bell 1, so that in ascending this weighted rod 27 will drop down below the plane of said pivotal point, thereby swinging the flap valve 26 up against the edges of the spout of hopper 19, thus cutting off the supply of carbid, while, when the bell 1, in descending, approaches its extreme lowest position the rod 27 strikes against the beaded edge of generator 8 and opens the flap valve 26, this action continuing until the flap valve has opened to its fullest extent, a predetermined amount or charge of carbid will be delivered from said hopper 19, directed by said flap valve 26, to the center of the grate or screen 10 and the gas generated therefrom will cause the gradual ascent of the bell 1 and the gradual closing of flap valve 26, cutting olf the supply of carbid until the charge just delivered shall have been thoroughly consumed.

The object in having the lowest point of the bottom lateral to a central vertical line passing through chamber 2 is to permit the hopper and flap valve to be so arranged as to discharge and direct the supply of the carbid t0 the center of screen or grate 10, insuring a perfectly distributed load on all parts of the screen or grate and its supporting float and guarding against any of the carbid falling directly into the water. This object doubtless might be accomplished by a variety of other constructions, but this is the simplest and preferred by me.

It is my desire that the appended claims be given their broadest interpretation to include all minor changes, modifications and use of equivalents coming within the scope and spirit of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In acetylene gas generators of the bell type, a carbid receptacle carried by the bell and an upwardly flaring cone-shaped generator, in combination With a float rising and falling in said generator, with the level of the water therein, a screen or grate carried by said float slightly submerged when loaded, guides for said float supported by said generator and automatic means engaging said generator on the descent of the bell to supply carbid to said grate.

2. In acetylene gas generators of the bell type, a carbid receptacle carried by the bell and a generator, in combination with a float rising and falling with the level of the Water in said generator, a grate carried byosaid float slightly submerged in all positions of its vertical movement when loaded and automatic means engaging said generator on the descent of the bell to supply carbid to said grate.

3. In acetylene gas generators of the bell type, a carbid receptacle carried by the bell and a generator, in combination with a float rising and falling with the level of the water in said generator, a grate carried by said float slightly submerged in all positions when loaded, guides for said float, bracing wedges interposed between the guides and the inner face of the generator, braces for said generator, each having one end secured thereto and a single means for fastening the respective guides, bracing wedges and ends of the generator braces firmly in position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES J. MGNOON.

' Witnesses:

BYRON RENFREW, II. E. SANDERS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

